Dangerous Move

In a state that Trump lost by roughly 4 million votes, the campaign can be optimistic about hitting its minimum signature requirement of 585,407 by the July deadline. If the ballot initiative passes in 2018, a statewide vote will be held the following spring, and Californians have their say about whether they want to be an independent country.

The “Yes California” campaign touts California as a self-sufficient, economic powerhouse, prepared to go it alone: “As the sixth largest economy in the world, California is more economically powerful than France and has a population larger than Poland. Point by point, California compares and competes with countries, not just the 49 other states,” it claims

Is it safe to say #CalExit supporters will become proud nationalists after leaving? They even cite Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, and reclaiming its sovereignty, as a flashpoint to their cause: “In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the international community with their ‘Brexit’ vote.”

But the campaign focuses its complaints on California’s role in subsidizing the rest of the country:

“In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children.”

While it is true that California receives less federal aid than most states as a percentage of revenue and per capita, this is not the whole story.